by H. Y. Hanna
He blinked. “Uh ... fuse ... Guy ... hot ...” He made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle.
Honey looked at him sharply. Dogs don’t blush, but she was almost sure that the insides of Ruffster’s ears had turned pink.
“I am sorry?” said Colette, looking puzzled.
“He means the lights are fine now,” said Honey.
“Oh, merci. That is good. I was worried that it was something more, vous comprenez?”
“Something more?” asked Honey.
Colette glanced around. “There is a lot of talking about a fantôme who comes and brings misfortune. Bad things—they happen after you hear the howling.”
Suka pushed her way forwards, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. “Is there really a Phantom Hound?”
Colette shrugged. “Je ne sais pas. I do not know. My human and I—we have come from France for the show—and there are many things about this country that we do not understand. It is perhaps—how you say—just a légende? But there are many dogs here who believe and they are scared. Yesterday, a dog had a bad accident after the howling was heard. This time, who knows what is going to happen ...” She shuddered and looked around again.
Honey followed her gaze around the arena. Everything seemed normal again, the air filled with the hustle and bustle of the show. In the distance, she spotted Biscuit the Beagle squirming out from under another of the food stalls, a sandwich clamped between his jaws. A red-faced woman was leaning over the stall and yelling something after him, but Biscuit didn’t look back as he raced across the room with his prize.
Honey turned back to Colette. “Nothing’s happened so far. I think it’s just a silly story.”
“Alors, but where is the howling coming from then? It is not from any of the dogs here—it is coming from outside the arena.” Colette shivered. “What is it from?”
Honey couldn’t answer. She looked at Ruffster, surprised that he hadn’t added his opinion—he was usually the one talking all the time—but he was still staring at Colette. There was a bit of drool coming out of the side of his mouth now.
“I saw you practising earlier,” said Suka to Colette. “You looked fantastic. My Boy’s been trying to teach me to trot like that all week.”
The French Poodle gave a shy wag of her tail. “Oh, merci beaucoup. Thank you very much. I have been practising since the time I was a puppy. My family, they are all show dogs.” She raised her chin proudly. “We have les champions in my pedigree since the time of King Louis XVII.”
“Wow,” said Suka. “I bet you’ll win ‘Best in Show’.”
“Oh, I hope so,” said Colette eagerly. “My human, she has worked very hard to bring me over here for this show. I do not want to disappoint her. Eh bien, I must return to my bench.” She gave them all a shy smile. “It is mon anniversaire, my birthday, today. My human, Marie, is making a little party this evening to celebrate. Perhaps you will come?” She looked at Ruffster and wagged her pom-pom tail.
He mumbled something and stared at his front paws. Colette tilted her head, looking at him uncertainly.
“That sounds lovely,” said Honey hastily. “Thank you.”
The French Poodle gave another wag of her pom-pom tail and trotted away.
“Ruffster, for kibble’s sake, what’s got into you?” Honey looked at her friend who was still standing frozen, his eyes following the French Poodle.
“Yeah, Ruffster, why didn’t you say something?” asked Suka. She flicked her tail teasingly. “I think she likes you.”
Ruffster hung his head. “I’m just a mongrel mutt. Don’t even have no pedigree name. She’d never talk to the likes o’ me.”
“Don’t be daft,” said Honey. But even as she said that, she noticed for the first time that the dogs around them were eyeing Ruffster askance. He did stand out here in the arena with his scruffy coat and his mismatched ears, next to all the elegant, groomed purebreds around them.
A Borzoi walked past and sniffed disapprovingly when she saw Ruffster. “Really! What were they thinking? Letting a mongrel in here. This used to be a respectable show and now we have to put up with all this riff-raff. ‘Prettiest Pet’ indeed! Have you ever heard of such nonsense?” She curled her lips back as she eyed Ruffster’s crooked ear. “This one wouldn’t even qualify in that class.”
Ruffster drooped even more.
Honey growled at the Borzoi, then turned back to Ruffster. “Don’t listen to that stupid dog,” she said. “You’re just as good as any of them.”
“Maybe you could go over to the grooming area and get your coat fixed up,” suggested Suka.
“Suka!” Honey huffed in exasperation. “Ruffster doesn’t need any fixing up. He’s great just as he is.”
“Oh, yeah—yeah, right,” said Suka hastily. She looked towards the show rings. “I’d better get back to my Boy. I’ll see you pups later.”
Suka had barely left when Honey heard her name being called. She looked up to see Olivia hurrying towards her, with Ruffster’s Guy close behind her.
“Honey! Ruffster! We’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Olivia rushed up to them. She turned to Ruffster’s Guy and said, “Give me a minute, I’ll just leave Honey with her breeder and then I’ll come out to move the car. That’s so great that we can park next to your caravan—I was really thinking I would have to risk getting towed!”
Ruffster’s Guy reached out and patted Honey on the head. “No worries. We’ll come with you to the breeder.”
The crowd seemed even thicker now as they pushed their way to the other side of the arena. There along the wall, several large crates were set up in a row. This was obviously where many of the bigger breeds hung out. Honey saw a flash of silver hair from the corner of her eye and turned her head to see Tiffany and Dior the Afghan Hounds nearby. Dior was being groomed by the Afghan Lady, the tall woman with the long face, and Tiffany was hovering behind them, looking bored. She perked up when she saw Honey and wagged her tail.
“Honey! My, how you’ve grown!” said a familiar voice.
Honey felt hands running over her and smelled an old scent she recognised. Memories of sleeping in a pile with her brothers and sisters and snuggling next to her mother’s belly flooded through her. It was the same hand that had touched her then, picked her up, cradled her and patted her. My Breeder!
Honey squirmed happily and leaned into the body next to her. The Breeder laughed. “So you remember me, do you? Come on, let me introduce you to your cousin, Anja. She’s a year younger than you and a Champion already! She’s our big hope for winning ‘Best in Show’ this year.” She opened the door of a giant crate nearby and a Great Dane walked out.
Honey stared.
It was like looking into a mirror. From the dark mask across the eyes and the mole on the right side of her jowls, to the long legs and the patch of white on her chest—this other Dane looked exactly like her.
“Oh my goodness!” gasped Olivia, laughing. “Honey, you’ve got a doppelgänger!”
CHAPTER 3
“Doppo-goober what?” asked Ruffster. He looked back and forth from Honey to the other Dane. “Holy liver treat, Honey, she’s like your double!”
Honey eyed Anja warily. She wasn’t sure she liked having a doppelgänger—it was a bit creepy having someone look exactly like you.
The other Dane extended her nose in a friendly way. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you.”
She had a soft voice and beautiful, dark eyes. And no drool at all. Honey licked her own lips self-consciously, feeling the slobber clinging there. Well, they might look the same, but maybe they weren’t that alike after all. And Anja seemed to stand so regally, with her head held high and her neck arched, and her feet tucked neatly together. Honey suddenly became aware of her own paws splayed in different directions and her body slouched over to one side. Sucking her stomach in, she tried to stand up straighter.
Anja laughed. “Are you trying to stack? Here, I’ll show you how.”
“Stack?” asked Honey.
Honey tried, but a Giant Schnauzer with an enormous bum was blocking her distant horizon. She settled on looking at his curved tail instead.
Anja circled her again. “Good, good ... keep your eyes there ... Don’t look down! Now, stretch your hind legs as far back as they’ll go. That’s it. Even more—”
“Can’t ...” said Honey through gritted teeth as she held her head up.
“Of course you can. Just keep stretching.”
“I’ll fall over!”
“No, you won’t.” Anja chuckled. “It just feels a bit weird at first. But you’ll soon get used to it. Good. OK, now suck your stomach in, prick your ears, and think majestic.”
“Think what?” squeaked Honey, trying to hold her stomach in.
“Majestic. That’s what we Danes are. It’s in our breed standard. We are the Apollo of Dogs.”
Right now, Honey didn’t feel like the Apollo of anything. Her neck ached, her legs felt wobbly, and she was going cross-eyed from gazing at the distant Schnauzer bum. Whew, being a show dog was hard work. She heard human chuckling and realised that the Breeder was watching them. Olivia and Ruffster’s Guy were nowhere to be seen. They must have gone back to move the car. Honey released her breath, dropped her head, and relaxed her body, letting her legs slide back into normal position.
“That was very good,” said Anja, wagging her tail. “Very good for a total beginner!”
“Thanks,” said Honey, feeling proud of herself, although she was glad she wouldn’t have to go into the ring anytime soon.
“What’s goin’ on over there?” asked Ruffster suddenly, looking over to the space next to them where a crowd of dogs and people were gathering excitedly.
“Oh, for the love of bacon ...” Anja rolled her eyes. “That’s Ferrari’s crate space.’”
“Who?” said Ruffster.
“Ferrari’s one of the real up-and-coming stars of the show world. The judges just love him. He’s been winning championships up and down the country—and he’s only eighteen months old! But if you ask me,” Anja lowered her voice, “all that fame has gone to his head a bit. He never goes to any show now without his Personal Spa Pawdicurist, and Chew Toy Therapist. His crate space has to be sprayed with Aromapet Lavender Extract exactly one hour before he arrives and he’s always got to be put between a brown dog and a white dog.”
Honey peered curiously over. In the middle of the crowd of dogs and people stood a red Cocker Spaniel. His long ears had been gathered up in a lime green “snood” around his head, which made him look rather silly—like Olivia when she wore that funny cap to get into the shower—but he didn’t seem bothered at all. He was sitting with his nose in the air, ignoring the woman who was trying to hand-feed him some roast chicken from a silver bowl. She sighed and shook her head at the other humans who were fussing around the gleaming chrome crate. They all made worried faces and huddled together to talk.
Meanwhile, Ferrari got up and began strolling around. The crowd of dogs around him surged forwards, eager noses thrust towards him, following wherever he went. Honey noticed that several of them were wearing snoods too, even though they didn’t have long ears.
“Ferrari! Ferrari!”
“Over here!”
“I love you, Ferrari!”
“Ferrari is top dog!”
The young Cocker Spaniel paused as he came past Anja’s crate and gave them a cocky grin. “Paws up, Anja!”
“Hello, Ferrari.” Anja gave him a cool nod.
“So ... you ready to meet me in the ring?”
“I’m ready if you are.”
“I’m always ready,” scoffed Ferrari. “I’m gonna win this easy-peasy.”
Ruffster bristled. “That’s big talk comin’ from a young pup like you.”
Ferrari laughed. “Hey, mongrel, I won ‘Best Puppy in Show’ when I was just twelve weeks old. I’m the top dawg and everybody knows it! I’m gonna do whatever it takes to win.” His eyes fell on Honey. “Who’s your clone, Anja?”
“Honey’s my cousin,” said Anja.
“You Danes sure have the same droopy faces,” Ferrari laughed, looking at Honey. “You got a leak in your mouth or something? That’s some slobber!”
Ruffster bristled again and took a step forwards, but Honey stepped on his paw.
“Ow!” He growled, looking at her. “What was that for? You weigh seventy kilos, you know!”
“Sorry,” said Honey. “I didn’t want you doing something you might regret.”
“That pup needs a good scruffin’,” Ruffster muttered, giving Ferrari a dirty look. The Cocker Spaniel was now sniffing around the chair and bags next to Anja’s crate. For a minute, Honey thought he was going to cock his leg against the chair, but then he saw the Breeder watching him and thought better of it.
“Hey, didja hear the creepy howling? Pretty cool, huh?” asked Ferrari, turning back to them.
“I wouldn’t call it cool.” Anja shivered. “You know what happened yesterday after the howling. That poor Chihuahua broke her leg. Everyone was expecting her to win the Toy Group, you know, and go on to compete for ‘Best in Show’. Now she’s out of the competition.” She looked nervously around. “Something bad is going to happen this time too ... I know it.”
“The only bad thing that’s gonna happen is that you’re gonna lose and I’m gonna win,” said Ferrari, with a grin. “Sniff ya later!”
“Unbelievable,” growled Ruffster, watching the young Cocker Spaniel swagger away.
Anja watched him go. “He’s just a bit young and full of himself. You’ve got to admit, though, that’s some confidence, eh? If all dogs were born with his confidence, we wouldn’t need any behaviourists.”
She turned as she heard her name being called. The Breeder beckoned her over and handed her the bowl of dog biscuits that had been sitting on the chair by the crate. She looked at Honey and Ruffster’s hopeful expressions and seemed about to scoop more biscuits into another bowl when Olivia and Ruffster’s Guy returned.
“Ticks! Thought I was goin’ to score some grub there, for a minute,” muttered Ruffster as they watched his Guy shake his head over the biscuits. “She looks like a soft touch, your Breeder. And hey, your doopy-gaga’s pretty nice,” said Ruffster.
“Doppelgänger.”
“Whatever. Although—holy liver treat—if I met her on a dark night, I wouldn’t know that it wasn’t you.” Ruffster laughed. “It’s kind o’ freaky!”
“It’s not funny,” Honey grumbled. “It’s all right for you—you haven’t got a doppelgänger.”
“Well, see, that’s the cool thin’ about bein’ a mongrel mutt ... every one o’ us is totally unique,” grinned Ruffster.
“You should remember that the next time you see Colette,” said Honey.
Ruffster’s ears drooped. “Oh, Colette ...”
There was a sudden choking sound and they turned to see Anja staggering back from her bowl. She took a few wobbly steps, then turned, panting and swaying unsteadily.
“Anja? What’s wrong?” cried the Breeder, looking up.
Anja made another gagging noise, then her eyes glazed over and she sank slowly to the ground.
CHAPTER 4
“Anja!” the Breeder screamed.
Everyone rushed over to the collapsed Dane. Honey sniffed Anja’s face urgently. Her cousin was still breathing and her eyes were open, but her breaths were shallow and she didn’t respond to any of the frantic calling and patting from the humans. A faint smell lingered around her mouth and the bowl of half-eaten biscuits ... Honey furrowed her brow and sniffed again ... sweet and fruity ... and pink. Well,
of course dogs can’t smell pink, but the smell reminded Honey of pink things she had sniffed before.
The Breeder rushed off and returned a few minutes later with a man carrying a metal case. It was the Vet. He dropped to his knees beside Anja and started examining her with gentle hands. Honey stepped back to give him more room and found several dogs crowding around her. They’d all come over to see what the commotion was.
“What happened?”
“Did you see?”
“Ohh ... is it the Phantom? Has the Phantom Hound struck again?”
“I knew something bad was going to happen after that howling!”
The Vet stood up, his face worried, and the humans huddled together to talk. Honey saw the Breeder’s shoulders slump in relief. Anja was going to be OK. Then she caught the word “poison” and saw the shocked look on their faces.
“Poison?” repeated Ruffster. “They think she’s been poisoned?”
“Those dog biscuits Anja was eating ...” Honey said slowly. “Someone must have put something in her bowl.”
“Reckon it’s that Ferrari mutt,” said Ruffster excitedly. “He was sniffin’ all round the chair and stuff ... and the bowl was on the chair. He could have been carryin’ somethin’ in his mouth—or hidden in that stupid snood o’ his—and slipped it in when nobody was lookin’. You heard him—he said he’d do anythin’ it takes to win and Anja was goin’ to be big competition.”
“I don’t know ...” Honey looked doubtfully over at the young Cocker Spaniel who was now lying on his pet futon, having a neck massage. He was a pain in the paw, all right, but would he really do something so ruthless?
And what about the other dogs in the show? Honey scanned the dogs around her, focusing on the two Afghans who were standing at the edge of the crowd, peering over the top of the other dogs’ heads. What about Dior? Honey thought of the way the big Afghan Hound had strode arrogantly into the arena. Tiffany had said he was the reigning champion of the Royal Show ... after winning it for two years, would he give up his “Best in Show” trophy without a fight? Their crates were only a few feet away ... With the bowl sitting there on the chair, it would have been easy enough for him—or anybody passing by—to slip something in.